In an unanticipated move that has left users buzzing, Twitter has restored the iconic blue verification tick for numerous high-profile accounts - without requiring any payment. After thousands of legacy verification checkmarks were removed on April 20, a wave of top accounts boasting over a million followers saw their blue badges return over the weekend.
Big names such as writer Neil Gaiman, footballer Riyad Mahrez, musician Lil Nas X, actress Janel Parrish Long, and British TV presenter Richard Osman all confirmed they hadn't paid for the prized blue badge. This surprising turn of events has left the Twittersphere wondering about the platform's sudden change of heart.
The drama surrounding Elon Musk's handling of legacy checkmarks led to an array of famous accounts, including the Pope, Shakira, and Lady Gaga, losing their verification marks. Notably, the Pope now sports a gray checkmark, typically reserved for government and multilateral organizations. Elon Musk had previously revealed he was "personally paying" for subscriptions for a few select accounts like LeBron James, Stephen King, and William Shatner. However, it appears Twitter has decided to extend this generous gesture to other prominent users.
Back in March, The New York Times reported that Twitter was mulling over the idea of granting free verification marks to the top 10,000 brands and companies. It remains to be seen whether the platform will apply the same policy to personal accounts. Programmer Travis Brown's analysis of accounts with over a million followers revealed that around 110, including actor Ryan Reynolds and Brazilian influencer Felipe Neto, are still without Twitter verification.
Although Twitter Blue was expected to create a significant splash, Travis Brown's analysis points to a modest net increase of only 12,000 accounts over the past week. The majority of this increase is due to Twitter gifting subscriptions to users with large followings.
Verification has proven to be a hot topic under Twitter's new management. The platform's introduction of paid verification led to an unintended surge in fake celebrity and brand accounts. Now, Twitter is urging brands to pay for verification to run ad campaigns, even though it hasn't updated the ads account page.
As Twitter Blue continues to grapple with generating substantial revenue, the platform's ever-evolving verification policies are sure to keep users on their toes, eagerly anticipating the next development.
